The Christmas Period 2017 is over, all Christmas markets are wrapped up and it is time to do a quick review and then to put the site again in slumber mode until October of November 2017.
This Christmas Period the www.DublinChristmasMarkets.com site was visited 35,000 times between mid November and 25 December, which is an increase of nearly 80% in comparison to last year. Thanks for your trust and support again.
It was not a great year as far as Christmas Markets are concerned, though. Markets were shorter and there were less than in previous years and we still had nearly exclusively Christmas-themed markets instead of Christmas Markets.
For years I am saying that the ONLY way Dublin will ever have a successful Christmas Market is if Dublin City will take ownership of it in the same way as nearly ALL Christmas Markets in Europe are operated. Dublin City, unfortunately is not keen at all to get involved and would prefer if a private operator was in charge. The problem in this case is that the private operator has a revenue goal that doesn’t consider the overriding driver in other European countries, which is to attract people/visitors/buyers into the cities.
Yes, there are lots of other issues in Dublin. For example the lack of a central place/square. A certain narrowmindedness of traders in Dublin City when it comes to the perceived competition of a Christmas Market and the inability of Dublintown to run a market that will attract visitors (They tried a few years ago and failed badly.)
But all in all it comes back to the first point: Dublin City has to take ownership IF a successful market is wanted for Dublin.
2018 will be another chance, let’s see if anything changes!?
But even if nothing will change, this website will be back towards the end of 2018 to tell you about the markets that take place over the Christmas Period and I am hopeful that one year, we will have a great Christmas Market! :-)
Have a great 2018!
–Joerg Steegmueller (dublineventguide AT gmail.com)
